It's hard to believe a decade has gone by since the first 636cc Kawasaki ZX-6R first came to our shores. The beefed up middleweight shook up the category with its displacement advantage over its rivals, and with the 600cc ZX-6RR variant being sold alongside, both racers and street riders were happy. But in 2007, after four years of success, Team Green stuck with tradition and axed the 636 from its lineup to continue with a 599cc version.

However, with many manufacturers focusing on literbike updates lately, the middleweight category has remained relatively stagnant, save for a freshened up Suzuki GSX-R600 in 2011, and, of course, MV Agusta's beautiful F3. Known for shaking up the status quo, Kawasaki is looking to jolt some life back into the class with the 2013 ZX-6R. The magic number behind the new ZX: 636.